Book Review: 17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

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17 First Kisses
Author: Rachael Allen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: June 17th 2014
Review Source: Edelweiss | HarperTeen

o matter how many boys Claire kisses, she can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend. Someone who wouldn’t rather date her gorgeous best friend, Megan. Someone who won’t freak out when he learns about the tragedy her family still hasn’t recovered from. Someone whose kisses can carry her away from her backwoods town for one fleeting moment.

Until Claire meets Luke.

But Megan is falling for Luke, too, and if there’s one thing Claire knows for sure, it’s that Megan’s pretty much irresistible.

With true love and best friendship on the line, Claire suddenly has everything to lose. And what she learns—about her crush, her friends, and most of all herself—makes the choices even harder.

In her moving debut, Rachael Allen brilliantly captures the complexities of friendship, the struggles of self-discovery, and the difficulties of trying to find love in high school. Fans of Sarah Ockler, Susane Colasanti, and Stephanie Perkins will fall head over heels for this addictive, heartfelt, and often hilarious modern love story.

You know the saying, “In life, there are no mistakes, only lessons"? In 17 First Kisses, Claire must learn that sometimes friendship is not worth losing over a boy. And even though she finally stood up to her friend, Megan, sometimes it is okay to drift apart.

When I first started 17 First Kisses, I liked how Megan included Claire to her group. It is nice to have someone include you when you are alone. But as we proceed into the story, we come to learn Megan loves to be in the spotlight. Which personally, I think this is okay until that person doesn’t allow her/his friends to outshine them at times. Megan thought otherwise. She wanted all the boys and always wanted to be the “IT” girl. Odd to be consider a best friend, right? Always letting that friend get what you want is kind of greedy of the best friend part. When Claire meets Luke, she and Megan do not see eye to eye because they both want him. The battle begins and this is when Claire decides to do the unthinkable.

I liked Claire at times but for the most part I was annoyed at her. Sure she finally stood up to her best friend, Megan, when the others wouldn’t. But we all know a boy is not worth losing your friend. Even if you want to prove her wrong. This is what Claire comes to learn as her wonderful Luke is nothing but a jerk. 

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger YA readers since this book contains profanity on average than other books. This 'Mean Girl' type of book is odd, you may either enjoy it or dislike it. With the many drama and the misuse of a word it wasn't for me.